WA 


■,rww 


LIBRARY   OF    THE    COMMANDERY    OF 
THE  STATE  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  MILITARY 
ORDER  OF  THE   LOYAL  LEGION  OF  THE 
UNITED   STATES 

CADET    ARMORY,    BOSTON 


wmw 


iXnvv  i 


Lincoln 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://www.archive.org/details/storyoflincolnheath 


JUVENILE   PUBLICATIONS   OF 


L.  H.  NELSON  CO.,  Portland,  Me. 


POPULAR    EDITION. 

32  pp.,  Sxio,  profusely  illustrated. 
Little  Stories  of  Great  Pictures. 
The  Story  of  Washington. 
The  Story  of  Lincoln. 
The  Story  of  Longfellow. 
The  Courtship  of  Miles  Stanuish. 
The  Story  of  Whittier   (in  preparation) 
Paul  Revere's  Ride  (in  preparation) 

32  pp.,  6xq. 
A  Little  Book  of  Conundrums. 


Also  publishers  Nelson's  International 
Series  of  Souvenir  Books,  embracing  all 
prominent  cities  and  resorts  of  the  United 
States  and  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 


ipifi 

OOO22245447 


The  Story  of  Lincoln 


by 
Virginia     Heath 

Author  of 

"Little  Stories  of  Great  Pictures" 
and  "  The  Story  of  Washington  " 


1905 

L.  H.  Nelson  Company 

Portland,  Maine 


"  Standing  like  a 

tower, 

Our 

children  shall  behold  his  fame, 

The 

kindly-earnest,  brave, 

foreseeing  man, 

Sagacious, 

patient,  dreading  praise,  not  blame, 

New 

birth  of  our  new  soil, 

the  first  American." 

— James  Russell  Lowell. 

Copyright,   IQ05, 

L.  H.  Nelson  Company, 

Portland    Maine. 


The  Story  #/~  Lincoln 


^EARLY  a  century  has  passed  since  the  men  and  maidens  of  a  quiet 
ISMll  v>^age  in  Kentucky  met  to  celebrate  the  wedding  day  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  and  his  young  bride  Nancy.  The  ever-changing  line  that 
marks  the  borders  of  the  West  rested  then  over  the  territory  of  Indiana,  and 
a  large  part  of  Kentucky  was  hardly  more  than  a  wilderness.  Hospitality  was 
the  law  of  the  land.  The  stranger,  pausing  on  his  journey  for  the  night, 
became  a  guest  of  honor.  The  customs  of  the  time  were  simple;  but  there 
was  no  want  of  friendliness  in  the  company  that  gathered  around  the  rude 
table  to  wish  the  bride  and  bridegroom  a  long  and  prosperous  life.  The  table 
was  loaded  with  the  delicacies  of  the  period.  Venison,  bear-meat,  wild  turkey 
and  ducks — all  that  the  forest  yielded  was  there  in  abundance,  and  what  the 
occasion  may  have  lacked  in  formality  was  made  up  in  good  cheer. 

The  wedding  festivities  over,  the  young  couple  began  housekeeping  in  a 
small  cabin  near  Eiizabethtown.  1  he  next  year  a  wee  daughter  came  to  make 
the  new  home  more  homelike.  Soon  after  the  family  moved  to  a  farm  on  the 
Dig  South  Fork  of  Nolin  Creek.  There,  on  February  twelfth  in  the  year 
eighteen  hundred  nine,  a  little  boy  was  born.  They  gave  him  the  grand  old 
name  of  Abraham,  never  dreaming  how  grandly  he  was  to  bear  it. 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


Copyright  by  S.  S.  McClure  Company 
and  reprinted  through  their  courtesy 

"  There,  on  February  twelfth  in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  nine, 
a  little  boy  was  born  ' ' 


The  strong  free 
spirit  of  the  West 
where  he  afterwards 
lived  had  much  to  do 
with  the  shaping  of  his 
character,  but  during 
the  days  of  his  baby- 
hood our  hero  was  a 
child  of  the  South. 
The  honor  of  being 
his  birthplace  belongs 
to  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky. How  great  an 
honor  it  was  the  men 
and  women  of  that  far- 
away time  little  knew. 
They  saw  a  slender 
boy  busy  at  his  play  and  to  them  he  seemed  like  other  children  as,  indeed,  he 
was  in  all  outward  ways.  His  pleasures  were  those  of  the  woods  and  the 
fields.  Picking  berries  in  the  summer,  gathering  nuts  in  the  autumn,  each 
year  venturing  deeper  into  the  forest  that  made  so  fascinating  a  playground, 
the  lad  grew  wise  in  woodland  lore.  His  sweet-faced  mother  taught  him  to  see 
the  beauty  that  lies  in  common  things. 

The  hardships  which  pressed  so  heavily  on  the  parents  touched  the 
younger  ones  but  lightly.  The  Lincoln  children  found  life  pleasant  enough 
and  thought  but  seldom  of  the  comforts  that  were  missing.  When  they  moved 
westward  to  southern  Indiana,  the  seven  days'  journey  seemed  a  marvelous 
adventure.  School  life  was  no  less  exciting,  but  of  this  they  had  only  a  taste. 
The  boy  especially  was  eager  to  learn.  The  age  in  which  he  lived  was  a  busy 
one.  Its  daytime  hours  were  filled  for  the  most  part  with  work  suited  to  his 
strength.  When  the  evening  came,  seated  in  the  chimney  corner,  or  stretched 
at  full  length  before  the  glowing  fire,  he  made  friends  with  his  books.  These 
were  few  in  number,  but  their  quality  was  of  the  best.  The  Bible,  Bunyan's 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  iFsop's  Fables,  Defoe's  Robinson  Crusoe  complete  the 
modest  list.  The  blaze  that  brightened  the  bare  walls  of  the  humble  room 
fell  with  gentle  warmth  on  the  earnest  face  of  the  reader,  bending  over  the 
precious  volumes  whose  lines  he  knew  by  heart.      He  learned  to  write  and  "do 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


his  sums  "  by  the  same  friendly  fireside,  using  its  wooden'  shovel  for  a  slate. 

Gradually  he  became  known  as  something  of  a  scholar  in  the  frontier 
town  where  scholarship  was  rare.  His  neighbors  liked  the  tall,  awkward  youth 
who  talked  with  them  so  pleasantly  of  the  stories  he  had  read.  They  were 
proudof  his  physical  strength  and  openly  boasted  that  he  could  outrun  and 
out-wrestle  all  others  in  the  place,  —  a  claim  their  champion  had  no  trouble  in 
making  good. 

His  thirst  for  knowledge  grew  with  the  years.  To  walk  several  miles  in 
search  of  a  grammar  seemed  to  him  a  light  task  for  so  rich  a  reward.  Every 
leisure  moment  saw  him  poring  over  the  new-found  treasure.  One  does  not 
know  whether  he  ever  owned  a  geography.  Perhaps  he  took  his  first  lesson  in 
that  science  when,  journeying  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  he  saw  a 
little  corner  of  the  great  country  that  lay  outside  his  Indiana  home.  This  jour- 
ney was  an  eventful  one  to  Lincoln,  then  a  young  man  of  nineteen.  The  flat- 
boat,  of  which  he  was  captain,  was  loaded  with  corn  and  other  produce  for  the 
southern  trade.  He  viewed  with  curious  interest  the  streets  of  New  Orleans. 
In  its  noisy  market,  jostled  by  sailors  from  all  over  the  world,  his  ear  caught 
the  strange  music  of  a  foreign  tongue.  He  felt  himself  a  part  of  the  city's 
throbbing  life.  What  wonder  that,  when  he  turned  again  to  the  north,  new 
fancies  were  stirring  in  his  brain. 

Not  long  after  Lincoln's  river  voyage,  his  father's  restless  spirit  led  him  to 
seek  a  home  in  Macon  County, 
Illinois.       Abraham,     having 
reached  the  years  of  manhood, 
became  a  citizen  of  that  state. 

There  was  little  to  distin- 
guish him  from  other  men  of  his 
time.  He  was  as  poor  as  any. 
The  forest  echoed  the  sturdy 
blows  of  his  axe  as  he  swung  it 
to  pay  for  the  clothing  he  wore. 
His  garments  were  ill-fitting  and 
carelessly  worn.  No  grace  of 
manner,  either  then  or  afterward, 
marked  him  as  a  hero.  He  had 
splendid  strength  of  body,  but 
a  mind  untrained,  yet  capable  of  ,.  In  its  noi     market» 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


From  "  Story  of  Abraham  Lincoln  "  by  Eleanor  Gridley. 
Copyright,  iSqi,  Abraham  Lincoln  Log  Cabin  Association 

"  His  father's  restless  spirit  led  him  to  seek  a  home  in 
Macon  County,  Illinois" 


great  power.  In  ad- 
dition, he  possessed 
as  a  heritage  from  his 
mother,  a  certain  high 
ambition  to  make  the 
most  of  every  oppor- 
tunity that  came  in 
his  way.  This  led 
him  to  keep  on  with 
his  studies  and  to  try 
all  kinds  of  work. 
Life  became  rather 
more  serious,  especial- 
ly, when,  on  a  second 
visit  to  New  Orleans, 
he  came  face  to  face 
with  the  institution  of 
slavery,  and  saw  men 
and  women  sold  like  cattle  in  the  open  market.  The  spirit  of  freedom  was  in 
Lincoln's  blood  and  the  sight  struck  him  with  horror.  Turning  to  a  friend, 
we  are  told  that  he  exclaimed,  with  quivering  lips,  "If  ever  I  get  a  chance  to 
hit  that  thing  (meaning  slavery)  I'll  hit  it  hard."  We  shall  see  how  truly, 
and  with  what  anguish  of  heart,  he  kept  that  early  vow. 

On  his  return  to  New  Salem,  Lincoln,  the  river  boatman,  became  Lincoln, 
the  storekeeper.  A  more  popular  or  obliging  clerk  could  hardly  have  been 
found.  His  honesty  was  above  reproach;  his  skill  in  the  art  of  story-telling 
beyond  question.  Customers  lingered  to  enjoy  his  homely  wit  until  the  village 
store  became  the  social  center  of  the  place.  Sometimes  the  evening  talk  drifted 
into  politics,  for  the  story-teller  was  always  interested  in  public  matters. 

When  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  grew  so  hostile  that  soldiers  were  needed 
to  defend  the  white  settlements  of  the  West,  Lincoln  gave  up  his  clerkship  to 
enter  the  list  of  volunteers.  He  was  made  captain  of  a  company.  The  cam- 
paign lasted  only  three  months.  When  the  troops  were  dismissed  he  deter- 
mined to  have  a  store  of  his  own.  In  this  enterprise  he  was  joined  by  another 
young  man.  The  two  bought  a  small  stock  of  goods  and  began  business  for 
themselves.  Perhaps  indoor  life  was  dull  in  contrast  to  days  spent  on  horse- 
back under  the  open   sky  ;   or  it  may   be,   the  youthful  merchant's  thoughts 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


strayed  too  often  to  his  books ;  for  at  this  time,  Shakespeare  and  Burns  were 
weaving  their  magic  spell  about  him.  At  any  rate,  it  seems  that  Lincoln's 
heart  was  scarcely  in  the  work;  and  the  partner  proving  incapable,  one  is  not 
surprised  to  learn  that  the  business  was  somewhat  of  a  failure  and  finally 
"winked  out,"  as    Lincoln   himself  put  it  with  quaint  humor. 

His  need  of  money  was  now  more  urgent  than  ever,  for  he  had  contracted 
debts  which  must  be  paid.  Being  offered  the  position  of  deputy  surveyor,  he 
immediately  accepted  it,  although  he  knew  nothing  of  surveying.  Six  weeks 
hard  study  prepared  him  for  the  work.  The  work  itself  brought  him  in  con- 
tact with  many  people,  who  admired  his  energy  and  liked  his  neighborly  ways. 
They  sent  him  to  Springfield  to  represent  them  in  the  legislature. 

There  Lincoln  met  some  of  the  brightest  men  of  the  day — a  privilege  he 
keenly  appreciated.  Many  of  them  were  destined  to  brilliant  futures,  but  not 
one  rose  to  so  high  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  men  as  the  stiff",  shy  member  from 
Sangamon  who  was  so  quick  to  recognize  their  greater  learning,  and  gave  such 
close  attention  to  their  speeches.  With  the  same  desire  for  improvement  that 
marked  his  boyhood,  Lincoln  now  resolved  to  study  these  men  whose  oppor- 
tunities in  life  had  been  better  than  his  own.  Lie  studied  them  to  such  good 
advantage,  and  made  himself  so  useful  to  the  people  of  his  county,  that  they 
continued  to  re-elect  him  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  when  his  own  affairs  made 
it  impossible  for  him  to  serve  them  longer. 

During  these  years 
Lincoln  was  far  from 
being  idle.  When  the 
legislature  was  not  in 
session,  he  was  either 
engaged  in  surveying 
or  in  reading  law.  At 
the  age  of  twenty- 
seven  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar. 

The  town  of 
Springfield  offered  so 
many  inducements  to 
men  of  his  profession, 
that  Lincoln  decided 
They  sent  him  to  Springfield  to  represent  them  in  the  legislature  "      to   make    it    his    home. 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


The  change  made  with  some  reluctance  proved  a  fortunate  one.  He  was  soon 
receiving  a  fair  income  from  his  law  practice.  The  same  qualities  that  had 
endeared  him  to  the  people  of  New  Salem  won  him  a  place  in  Springfield. 
The  social  life  of  the  town  was  delightful.  Lincoln,  though  never  gay,  was 
always  friendly.  Here  and  there  in  many  a  quiet  home  he  became  a  favorite 
guest.  After  his  marriage  Mrs.  Lincoln's  gracious  hospitality  and  Lincoln's 
personal  charm  made  their  own  fireside  a  place  about  which  friends  liked  to 
gather.  Amid  the  activities  of  private  life  he  still  found  time  for  public  duties. 
When  he  entered  Washington  to  take  his  seat  as  a  member  of  the 
Thirtieth  Congress,  the  town  was  very  different  from  the  beautiful  city  of  today. 


"The  beautiful  city  of  today." 


IO 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  The  Capitol  was  without  its  present  wings  or  its  western  terrace 


The  Capitol  was  without  its  present  wings  or  its  western  terrace.  It  lacked  the 
massive  dome  above  which  the  statue  of  Liberty,  with  sheathed  sword  and 
eagle's  crest,  now  rises.  The  Patent  Office  and  the  Treasury  are  among 
the  few  old  landmarks  that  remain  unchanged.  The  house  where  Lincoln 
lived  stood  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Congressional  Library. 

Those  months  at  the  Nation's  Capital  were  pleasant  ones  to  Lincoln. 
His  speeches  on  certain  grave  questions  then  before  Congress  attracted  the 
attention  of  many  to  whom  the  speaker  was  as  yet  unknown.  The  people  of 
the  East   began   to  ask    what    manner    of  man  he  was.     They  of  the  West 


ii 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  The  house  where  Lincoln  lived  stood  on  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Congressional  Library 

already  knew.  "  Honest  Abe,"  they  called  him,  and  spoke  the  words  in  love. 
When  the  session  was  ended,  and  he  returned  to  Illinois,  they  gave  him  the 
whole-souled  welcome  which  is  still  so  charming  a  characteristic  of  that  western 
land. 

To  his  townspeople  Lincoln  seemed  a  type  of  all  that  was  best  in  citizen- 
ship. He  was  not  merely  willing  but  eager  to  aid  in  any  enterprise  to  advance 
the  city's  interests.  There  are  beautiful  stories  of  his  helpfulness  to  both  old 
and  young.  The  children  of  Springfield  rejoiced  in  his  friendship.  They 
divined,  with  the  sure  instinct  of  childhood,  that  this  grave-faced  man  was 
himself  but  a  child  at  heart.      His  own  boys  found  in   him   a  royal  playmate. 


12 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


Honest  Abe,'  they  called  him,  and  spoke  the  words  in  love  " 


'J 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


One  would  like  to  linger  over  the  story  of  these  days.  The  burden  of  debt 
which  had  weighed  so  heavily  upon  Lincoln  had  been  lifted.  The  shadow  of 
the  struggle  that  was  to  darken  all  his  later  life  had  not  yet  fallen.  For  a  little 
time  we  may  think  of  him  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  his  home. 

Meanwhile  his  interest  in  national  affairs  steadily  increased.  As  the  years 
went  by  he  grew  more  and  more  absorbed  in  political  questions.  His  speeches 
during  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debate  are  among  the  most  remarkable  in  our 
history.  They  brought  Lincoln  unexpected  fame.  He  became  an  acknowl- 
edged leader  in  the  Republican  party,  which,  two  years  later,  nominated  him 
for  President.  He  was  not  a  popular  candidate,  except  in  the  West,  where  his 
fitness  for  leadership  had  long  been  known.      The  East  preferred  a  man   of  its 


For  a  little  time  we  may  think  of  him  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  ot  his  home" 


14 


THE    STORY    Of     LINCOLN 


own  choosing,  but  conceding  Mr.  Lincoln's  rare  ability,  gave  him  its  warm 
support.  The  South  was  openly  defiant.  It  desired  the  extension  of  slavery 
throughout  the  territories  of  the  United  States,  a  policy  to  which  Lincoln  was 
firmly  opposed.  He  was  opposed,  also,  to  any  violation  of  the  Constitution, 
and  held  that  no  State  could  lawfully  withdraw  from  the  Union  without  the 
consent  of  the  others. 

The  people  of  the  South  hated  the  principles  for  which  Lincoln  stood. 
In  the  blindness  of  their  rage,  they  even  thought  they  hated  him  —  "the 
gentlest  soul  that  ever  ruled  a  State."  While  loyal  hearts  in  every  corner  ot 
the  land  were  exulting  over  the  news  of  his  election,  South  Carolina  withdrew 
from  the  Union.  Before  he  was  inaugurated  six  of  the  cotton-growing  states 
had  followed  in  her  wake.      The  battle-cry  of  the  Rebellion  had  been  sounded. 

Yet  the  tone  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  Inaugural  Address  was  most  friendly  :  "In 
your  hands,"  he  said,  "my  dissatisfied  fellow-countrymen,  and  not  in  mine,  is 
the  momentous  issue  of  civil  war.  The  government  will  not  assail  you.  You 
can  have  no  conflict  without  being  yourselves  the  aggressors.  You  have  no 
oath  registered  in  heaven  to  destroy  the  government ;  while  I  shall  have  the 
most  solemn  one,  to  'preserve,  protect,  and  defend'  it." 

"  I  am  loath  to  close.  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  We  must  not 
be  enemies.  Though  passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds 
of  affection." 

"  The  mystic  cords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battle-field  and 
patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearth-stone  all  over  this  broad  land, 
will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when  again  touched,  as  surely  they  will 
be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  nature." 

Lincoln's  oath  of  office  to  "  protect  and  defend  the  Constitution  "  was  no 
idle  promise.  To  its  faithful  keeping  he  devoted  every  power  that  he  pos- 
sessed. Through  all  the  years  until  his  life's  tragic  end,  his  determination  to 
preserve  the  Union  never  wavered.  Neither  was  he  deceived  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  struggle  upon  which  he  had  entered.  No  other  President,  probably, 
ever  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  White  House  bowed  down  with  such  a 
weight  of  care.  He  knew  that  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  was  a  blow 
at  the  Nation's  heart.  The  Union  itself  was  threatened.  Nor  were  its  foes 
all  from  without.  In  the  very  streets  of  the  Capital  treason  had  found  a  foot- 
hold. The  North  was  hesitating  and  bewildered.  Not  until  the  rebels  fired 
upon  the  old  flag  at  Fort  Sumter  did  it  wake  from  its  strange  indifference. 
Then  like  one  man  it  sprang  to  arms. 


*s 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


The  President's  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  volunteers  to  aid  in  crush- 
ing the  Rebellion  was  answered  with  enthusiasm.  From  every  loyal  state  men 
hastened  to  the  defense  of  the  Capital.  As  he  watched  the  long  line  of  troops 
march  past  the  White  House  grounds,  the  President's  heart  grew  lighter.  He 
felt  that  he  no  longer  stood  alone,  yet  from  the  southern  windows  of  his  home 
he  saw  the  Confederate  colors  flying  over  Alexandria,  and  knew  that  for  what 
they  deemed  the  honor  of  that  flag,  men  as  brave  as  any  living  were  gathering 
in  the  south. 


"  No  other  President,  probably,  ever  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  White  House 
bowed  down  with  such  a  weight  of  care" 


16 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


He  was  unable  to  share  in  the  popular  belief  that  the  war  would  soon  be 
over.  His  clearer  vision  told  him  that  an  anguished  country  would  count  its 
slain  by  thousands  ere  victory  should  come.  His  sense  of  responsibility  was 
very  great.  The  look  of  sadness,  so  marked  in  all  his  portraits,  never  wholly 
left  his  face.  The  lines  about  his  firm  mouth  deepened.  But  the  government, 
still  reeling  from  the  shock  it  had  received,  felt  the  pressure  of  his  steady  hand 
and  gained  confidence  from  the  outward  calmness  of  his  manner. 

As  Commander-in-chief  Lincoln  was  well-nigh  worshipped  by  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  army.  He  had  generals  who  showed  him  small  respect  and 
proved  unworthy  of  his  faith.  Statesmen  were  not  wanting  to  question  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment.  There  were  men  in  all  stations  of  life  who 
misunderstood  his  motives  and  even  doubted  their  honesty.  With  truer  in- 
sight into  Lincoln's  real  nature  the  common  soldiers  trusted  him  like  children. 
In  return  he  gave  them  his  heart.  More  and  more  often  as  the  clouds  of  war 
grew  darker,  he  would  turn  from  a  distinguished  guest  to  hear  the  story  of 
some  suffering  mother  whose  son  was  under  sentence  of  death  for  neglect  of 
duty.  He  always  listened  with  respect  to  these  humble  visitors,  and  when 
it  did  not  conflict  with  his  sense  of  justice  granted  the  pardon  for  which  they 
came.  His  officers  complained  that  so  frequent  a  use  of  his  pardoning  power 
interfered  with  the  discipline  of  the  army.  "The  land  is  full  of  mourning," 
the  President  would  reply,  "  I  can  sleep  better  tonight  for  knowing  I  have 
spared  the  life  of  some  poor  boy." 

At  the  end  of  the  year  the  country  began  to  realize  that  instead  of  being 
over,  as  many  had  anticipated,  the  war  had  only  just  begun.  The  advantage 
lay  with  the  South,  though  neither  army  had  accomplished  much.  The  troops 
on  both  sides  were  poorly  drilled.  This  was  especially  true  of  the  Union 
forces,  the  Confederates  being  more  accustomed  to  horsemanship  and  the  use  of 
firearms.  You  remember  how  the  untrained  Northern  soldiers  fell  back  at  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run. 

Soon  after  this  event  the  President  drove  to  all  the  military  camps  near 
Washington.  It  was  his  custom  to  visit  these  camps  each  day,  "  running  over 
to  see  the  boys  "  he  called  it,  in  his  simple  fashion.  No  guest  was  ever  more 
welcome.  His  presence  had  an  excellent  effect  on  the  spirits  of  the  men, 
drooping  under  the  humiliation  of  defeat.  His  manner  plainly  showed  an 
unshaken  faith  in  their  courage.  At  the  same  time  he  busied  himself  in  the 
work  of  reorganizing  the  army  which,  under  the  wholesome  influence  of  daily 
drills,  soon  recovered  from  the  panic  of  its  first  engagement. 


TjHE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  You  remember  how  the  untrained  Northern  soldiers  fell  back  at 
the  battle  of"  Bull  Run" 


On  the  whole,  the 
spring  campaign  of 
eighteen  hundred 
sixty-two  was  favorable 
to  the  North.  Febru- 
ary brought  the  cheer- 
ing news  that  Grant 
had  captured  Fort 
Donelson.  His  sturdy 
answer  to  the  comman- 
der of  the  fort  who  had 
asked  what  terms  could 
be  made, — "  No  terms 
except  an  uncondition- 
al and  immediate  sur- 
render can  be  accepted. 
I  propose  to  move  im- 
mediately upon  your 
works,"  was  quoted  far  and  wide.  During  the  next  month  the  queer  little 
Monitor  won  its  brilliant  victory  in  Hampton  Roads.  In  April  of  the  same 
year  the  Federal  fleet  under  Commodore  Farragut  forced  its  way  past  the  forts 
guarding  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  took  possession  of  New  Orleans. 

Meanwhile  the  Confederates  gained  ground  in  the  East.  The  Union  forces 
under  McClellan  lost  heavily  at  Fair  Oaks.  "  Stonewall  "  Jackson  made  his 
famous  sally  into  the  Shenandoah  valley,  driving  the  blue-coats  like  sheep  before 
him.  The  Southern  army  under  its  gallant  leader,  General  Robert  E.  Lee, 
camped  on  the  soil  of  Maryland,  and  seemed  to  the  disheartened  North  about 
to  enter  Washington  itself. 

Alert  as  any  sentinel  at  the  front,  the  President  watched  at  home.  Tirelessly 
as  any  soldier,  though  with  different  weapons,  he  fought  within  its  capital  the 
foes  of  the  Republic.  Their  methods  were  not  always  those  of  honest  warfare. 
Sometimes  they  came  disguised  as  friends  to  urge  upon  the  President  a  policy 
from  which  his  upright  soul  recoiled.  Often  the  men  who  fought  at  his  side 
hindered,  by  impatient  action,  the  very  cause  for  whose  success  they  prayed, 
Embittered  by  repeated  failure  and  weary  of  waiting  for  victory  long  delayed, 
they  even  blamed  the  President  for  his  great  forbearance,  mistaking  it  for 
weakness.     "  We  are  in  doubt,"  they  complained,  "  as  to  the  purpose  of  the 


18 


THE    STORY    OF     LINCOLN 


"  A  gallant  leader" 
General  Robert  E.  Lee 


19 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  The  queer  little  Monitor  won  its  brilliant  victory 
in  Hampton  Roads  " 


policy  the  President  seems  to  be  pursuing."  Lincoln's  reply  was  clear  as 
crystal.  "  I  would  save  the  Union,"  he  wrote,  "  I  would  save  it  the  shortest 
way  under  the  Constitution.  The  sooner  the  national  authority  can  he  restored, 
the  nearer  the  Union  will  be  'the  Union  as  it  was.'  It  there  be  those  who 
would  not  save  the  Union  unless  they  could  at  the  same  time  destroy  slavery, 
I  do  not  ap^ree  with  them.  My  paramount  object  in  this  struggle  is  to  save  the 
Union  and  is  not  either  to  save  or  to  destroy  slavery.  It  I  could  save  the 
Union  without  freeing  any  slave,  I  would  do  it;  and  it  I  could  save  it  bv 
freeing  all  the  slaves,  I  would  do  it;  and  it  I  could  save  it  by  freeing  some  and 
leaving  others  alone,  I  would  also  do  that.  What  I  do  about  slavery  and  the 
colored  race,  I  do  because  I  believe  it  helps  to  save  the  Union;  and  what  I 
forbear,  I  forbear  because  I  do  not  believe  it  would  help  to  save  the   Union. 


20 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


I  shall  do  less  whenever  I  shall  believe  what  I  am  doing  hurts  the  cause,  and  I 
shall  do  more  whenever  I  shall  believe  doing  more  will  help  the  cause.  I  shall 
try  to  correct  errors  when  shown  to  be  errors,  and  I  shall  adopt  new  views  so 
fast  as  they  shall  appear  to  be  true  views." 

Some  time  before  he  wrote  these  lines  the  President  had  determined  on  the 
course  that  he  would  take.  The  first  draft  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation 
lay  even  then  within  his  desk.  He  had  written  it  after  days  and  nights  of 
anxious  thought  and  without  the  knowledge  of  his  Cabinet.  It  was  a  weapon 
against  the  slave  states  Lincoln  did  not  wish  to  use.  In  his  love  for  the  whole 
country  he  felt  that  he  was   President  of  North  and   South  alike.      Earnestly 


Stanton 


Chase 


Lincoln 


Welles 


Smith 
Seward 


Blair 


Bates 


"  Calling  his  Cabinet  together,  Lincoln  read  to  them  the  paper,  the  writing  of  which,  had  he  done 
nothing  else,  would  have  made  his  name  immortal  " 


21 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  And  for  thousands  of  human  beings  a  New  Year  had  dawned  indeed" 


11 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


desiring  to  save  the  "  Union  as  it  was  "  he  had  waited  patiently  tor  many 
months.  Now  he  regarded  the  proclamation  as  a  "  military  measure  necessary 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union."  He  meant  to  issue  it  whenever  it  should 
become  clear  that  the  time  to  do  so  had  arrived.  The  success  of  the  Union 
army  at  Antietam  furnished  the  opportunity  for  which  he  had  been  looking. 
Calling  his  Cabinet  together,  Lincoln  read  to  them  the  paper,  the  writing  of 
which,  had  he  done  nothing  else,  would  have  made  his  name  immortal.  It 
provided  that  on  the  following  New  Year's  day  in  all  such  states  as  had  not 
by  that  time  returned  to  their  allegiance  the  slaves  should  be  thenceforth  and 
forever  free. 

Next  morning's  papers  published  the  proclamation  which  afterwards  took 
its  place  among  the  great  documents  of  the  world.  Yet  even  as  they  read  its 
splendid  promise  men  doubted  the  courage  of  the  writer.  "  He  will  never  dare 
to  sign  it,"  they  said,  having  yet  to  learn  how  like  a  rock  for  the  thing  he 
believed  to  be  right,  their  President  would  stand.  He  signed  the  proclamation, 
in  the  executive  chamber  of  the  White  House  on  the  afternoon  of  January  first, 
eighteen  hundred  sixty-three.  And  for  thousands  of  human  beings  a  New 
Year  had  dawned  indeed. 

The  President  did  not  expect  to  end  the  war  immediately  by  giving  the 
slaves  their  freedom.  He  hoped  the  measure  would  weaken  the  power  of  the 
Confederacy.  That  such  would  be  the  result  was  not  at  first  apparent.  For 
while  the  government's  clearly  defined  policy  toward  slavery  united  the  different 
factions  in  the  North,  in  the  South  it  tanned  to  fiercer  heat  the  spirit  ot 
rebellion.  The  battle-fields  of  the  next  summer  witnessed  some  of  the  most 
desperate  fighting  the  world  has  ever  seen.  At  Chancellorsville  and  Gettysburg 
the  loss  of  life  on  both  sides  was  appalling.  On  July  fourth,  after  a  long  siege, 
the  stronghold  of  Vicksburg  surrendered  to  General  Grant;  and  from  that  time 
it  was  evident  to  those  who  watched  the  conflict  trom  atar  that  the  Confederate 
cause  was  hopeless.  Yet  the  South  showed  no  sio;n  of  yielding,  and  for  many 
months  the  awful  strite  went  on.  Again  and  again,  before  the  struggle  ended, 
the  President's  call  for  soldiers  sounded  in  the  North.  Again  and  again  the 
manhood  of  the  North  responded,  and  its  homes  gave  up  their  treasure. 

With  a  heavy  heart  the  President  saw  the  wasting  of  his  country  and  heard 
its  bitter  cry.  "  I  shall  never  be  glad  any  more,"  he  said.  Yet  sometimes  the 
shadows  fitted  tor  an  instant,  and  his  laugh,  which  Mr.  Lincoln's  friends  used 
to  say  was  like  no  other  laugh  in  all   the  world,  rang  out.     Those  who  called 


23 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


Copyright,  iSSq,  W.  H.  Tipton 

"At  Gettysburg  the  loss  of  life  on  both  sides  was  appalling" 


upon  him  in  the  early  evening  found  him  playing  with  his  child,  little  "  Tad," 
whose  innocent  gayety  made  the  sunshine  of  those  gloomy  hours. 

By  the  spring  of  sixty-four  Washington  had  become  one  vast  hospital,  a 
city  of  white  tents,  past  which  the  President  drove  each  day  in  going  from  the 
Executive  Mansion  to  his  summer  cottage  at  the  Soldiers'  Home.  He  often 
visited  the  wards,  whose  occupants  watched  eagerly  for  his  coming.  Looking 
into  the  strong,  tender  face,  bending  so  graciously  above  him,  many  a  Southern 
prisoner  understood  why  the  President's  own  soldiers  served  him  with  such 
beautiful  devotion. 

The  capture  of  Atlanta  on  September  second  occurred  at  a  fortunate  time. 
The  Presidential  election  was  approaching.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  again  the  candi- 
date   of  the   Republican    party.      Sherman's    victory    at    Atlanta,    preceded    by 


24 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


Farragut's  success  in  Mobile  Bay,  and  quickly  followed  by  Sheridan's  dashing 
ride  through  the  Shenandoah  valley,  greatly  strengthened  the  Administration. 
Though  re-elected  by  a  large  majority,  the  President  felt  no  personal  triumph, 
only  gratitude  to  the  people  for  the  confidence  they  had  shown.  "  The  election 
has  demonstrated,"  he  said,  in  addressing  one  of  the  political  clubs  of  the 
District,  "  that  a  people's  government  can  sustain  a  national  election  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  civil  war.  Until  now,  it  has  not  been  known  to  the  world  that 
this  was  a  possibility.  It  shows,  also,  how  strong  and  sound  we  are.  #  *  * 
It  shows,  also,  that  we  have  more  men  now  than  we  had  when  the  war  began. 
Gold  is  good  in  its  place;  but  living,  brave,  patriotic  men  are  better  than  gold." 


The  capture  ot  Atlanta  occurred  at  a  fortunate  time  " 


2  5 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


While  the  country  was  still  discussing  the  results  of  the  election,  Sherman 
began  his  long  march  to  the  sea.  His  capture  of  Savannah  was  a  severe  blow 
to  the  already  weakened  Confederacy.  When  Mr.  Lincoln  delivered  his 
second  Inaugural  Address,  the  end  of  the  Rebellion  was  at  hand.  Hating  war, 
he  had  led  the  people  through  four  long  years  of  dreadful  warfare.  How  his 
great  heart  must  have  rejoiced  as  he  spoke  to  them  now  of  the  things  that 
make  for  peace  :  - 

"  With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,  with  firmness  in  the  right, 
as  God  gives  us  to  see  the  right,  let  us  strive  on  to  finish  the  work  we  are  in; 
to  bind  up  the  nation's  wounds;  to  care  for  him  who  shall  have  borne  the  battle, 
and  for  his  widow  and  orphans, — to  do  all  which  may  achieve  and  cherish  a  just 
and  lasting  peace  among  ourselves,  and  with  all  nations." 


^;£r*» 


Sherman  began  his  long  march  to  the  sea' 


26 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


"  The  Union  troops  entered  Richmond  and  raised  the  American  flag  over  the  Confederate  Capitol  " 


Early  in  April  the  Union  troops  entered  Richmond  and  raised  the  American 
flag  over  the  Confederate  Capitol.  A  little  later  the  remnant  of  Lee's  fine  army 
surrendered  to  General  Grant,  who,  catching  the  spirit  of  Mr.  Lincoln's 
Inaugural  Address,  permitted  the  Southern  soldiers  to  retain  their  horses,  saying 
they  would  need  them  for  the  spring;  plowing;. 

On  the  morning  of  April  fourteenth,  tidings  that  the  war  was  over  flashed 
through  the  North.  In  its  soft  beauty  the  day  itself  gave  promise  of  the 
summer  yet  to  come.  Each  heart  shared  the  season's  gladness.  Every  one 
felt,  as  James  Russell  Lowell  wrote  his  friend,  that  the  news  was  indeed  from 
Heaven.      But  in  the  midst  of  its  rejoicing,  a  sudden  silence  fell  upon  the  land. 


27 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


Late  in  the  evening  Mr.   and   Mrs.   Lincoln   entered  a  private  box    at  Ford's 
Theater.      The  people  rose  to  greet  them,  and  the  smiling  President  bowed   in 


Late  in  the  evening  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  entered  a  private  box  at  Ford's  Theater 


28 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


answer  to  their  cheers. 
No  one  dreamed  of 
any  danger.  All  eyes 
were  centered  on  the 
stage,  when  the  laugh- 
ing audience,  startled 
by  the  report  of  a 
pistol,  heard  a  woman's 
voice  cry    out,    "  The 


1 


resi 


dent 


is 


s  ho  t." 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 
he  loved  so  well  were 
draped  beneath  the 
President's  box.  The 
man  who  had  so  dis- 
honored his  country's 
flag  caught  his  spur 
within  its  folds  and 
fell  heavily  to  the 
floor.  Though  badly 
injured,  he  quickly  re- 
covered himself  and, 
aided  by  the  terrible 
confusion,     made     his 


"The  dying  President  was  taken  at  once  from  the  theater 
to  a  house  near  by  " 


escape. 

The  dying  Presi- 
dent was  taken  at  once 
from  the  theater  to  a  house  near  by.  Outside  its  doors  the  people  waited  for 
the  dawn  to  dispel  the  shadows  of  the  night.  To  him  who  lay  so  quietly 
within  its  darkened  chamber,  the  morning  had  already  come.  A  few  hours 
later  the  body  of  the  dead  President  was  carried  through  the  hushed  streets  of 
the  city  to  the  private  apartments  of  the  White  House. 

The  nation's  joy  had  turned  to  deepest  sorrow.  With  passionate  grief 
the  country  mourned  its  fallen  leader.  At  the  hour  appointed  for  his  funeral, 
and  while  he  lay  in  state  within  the  rotunda  of  the  Capitol,  services  were  held 
in  many  churches  throughout  the  land.      The  love  of  the  people  could  not  be 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


The  old  historic  building  within  whose  walls  the  Union  he  had  saved  had 
had  its  stormy  birth  ' ' 


3° 


THE     STORY     OF     LINCOLN 


denied,  and  so  the  train  that  bore  him  to  his  distant  home  often  waited  that 
citizens  of  the  towns  along  the  way  might  look  once  more  upon  his  peaceful 
face.  In  the  "City  of  Brotherly  Love"  the  President  was  carried  to  the  old 
historic  building  within  whose  walls  the  Union  he  had  saved  had  had  its  stormy 
birth.  His  homeward  journey  followed  the  same  route  over  which  he  had 
come  to  Washington  a  few  short  years  before.  Under  arches  bright  with  flags, 
over  bridges  hung  with  green,  through  stations  decked  with  flowers,  the  sad 
procession  passed.  Beside  his  western  grave  the  nation  gave  him  to  his  own. 
The  glory  of  the  sunset  was  fading  from  the  sky  as,  with  tender  hands,  his 
neighbors  laid  the  President  at  rest. 


3  i 


iLtncoin's  HtitircSBS  at  <^ctti>6tmrg 

November  ip,   lS6j 

"  Fourscore  and  seven  years  ago  our  fathers  brought  forth 
upon  this  continent  a  new  nation,  conceived  in  liberty,  and 
dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created  equal. 
Now  we  are  engaged  in  a  great  civil  war,  testing  whether  that 
nation,  or  any  nation  so  conceived  and  so  dedicated,  can  long 
endure.  We  are  met  on  a  great  battle-field  of  that  war.  We 
have  come  to  dedicate  a  portion  of  that  field  as  a  final  resting- 
place  for  those  who  here  gave  their  lives  that  that  nation 
might  live.  It  is  altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  we  should 
do  this.  But  in  a  larger  sense  we  cannot  dedicate,  we  cannot 
consecrate,  we  cannot  hallow  this  ground.  The  brave  men, 
living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here,  have  consecrated  it  far 
beyond  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  little 
note,  nor  long  remember,  what  we  say  here;  but  it  can  never 
forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to 
be  dedicated  here  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they  who 
fought  here  have  thus  far  so  nobly  advanced.  It  is  rather  for 
us  to  be  here  dedicated  to  the  great  task  remaining  before  us, 
that  from  these  honored  dead  we  take  increased  devotion  to 
that  cause  for  which  they  gave  the  last  full  measure  of  devo- 
tion; that  we  here  highly  resolve  that  these  dead  shall  not 
have  died  in  vain ;  that  this  nation,  under  God,  shall  have  a 
new  birth  of  freedom,  and  that  the  government  of  the  people, 
by  the  people,  and  for  the  people,  shall  not  perish  from  the 
earth." 


